Polynesia and Easter Island

Duration

Journey Type

Ports

Ship

Setting sail from Papeete

If you are in search of paradise, don't expect it to be easy to
get there! It's a long old haul to get to Papeete, the capital of
French Polynesia. And once you are there, Papeete itself is by no
means the most magical spot - you need to venture forth to see the
other islands, and luxuriate in the turquoise lagoons, white sand
beaches fringed with palm trees, rugged mountain peaks and coral
reefs. Expensive and remote, these islands have maintained their
uncommercial magic, with excellent hotels and a warm Polynesian
welcome everywhere you go.

Our tip

Don’t bother with local currency – all the local shops and markets will take US dollars. And take aqua shoes, impossible to walk in the sea otherwise.

7 October

French Polynesia:
Fakarava (Tuamotu Islands)

The Fakarava atoll surrounds a deep lagoon in the west of the Tuamotu island group, scarcely populated and home to a host of rare wildlife. The entire atoll has been declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and the shallow coastal waters make for excellent snorkelling.

8-9 October

At sea

10-11 October

French Polynesia:
Mangareva Island, Gambier Islands

12 October

At sea

13 October

Pitcairn Islands:
Adamstown

The remote South Pacific island of Pitcairn was settled by a party of British sailors and Tahitians following the famous mutiny on the HMS Bounty in 1789, and their descendants still live on the island. The tiny capital, Adamstown, has a population of around 50 people.

14 October

Pitcairn Islands:
Ducie Island

15-16 October

At sea

17-19 October

Arriving in Hanga Roa (Easter Island)

The enigmatic moai statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) remain
one of the world's most intriguing archaeological mysteries.
Descendants of the Polynesian settlers who carved them still live
here, though these days the island belongs to Chile, despite being
separated from the mainland by over 2,000 miles of Pacific
Ocean.